Reduce the financial risk - funding of up to 80% of the research cost is available

Complement your company's core expertise

Get early access to new technologies being developed

As one of Ireland’s youngest and most dynamic universities, DCU has always been responsive to the needs of industry particularly in its research programmes and has developed an excellent reputation for its cutting-edge research. However it needs the input from companies to transform this research into innovative and commercially exploitable products and services. Companies can now seize the opportunities presented to them to use platform technologies for their specific business sectors and for specific markets. These collaboration opportunities ensure that you are constantly innovating!

Innovation Partnership Initiative (Enterprise Ireland)This initiative offers financial support to companies who engage in collaborative research projects with Irish universities and institutes of technology. Enterprise Ireland provides grants of up to 80% towards eligible costs of the research project. http://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/Funding-Supports/Company/Esetablish-SME-Funding/Innovation-Partnerships.html

Invent DCU has successfully managed more Innovation Partnerships with companies than any other Irish University for the last three years. The team at Invent can help you to navigate your way to meet the right researchers and make it a rewarding process for all involved.

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Other mechanisms and funding schemes available to facilitate collaboration with companies include:

Funding for Exploring New Opportunities (Enterprise Ireland)Investigating new ideas and markets can be an expensive and time consuming undertaking. To address this issue, Enterprise Ireland provides a range of measures to assist entrepreneurs and may be able to provide funding to help explore new ideas/markets. http://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/Funding-Supports/Company

Innovation Vouchers (Enterprise Ireland)The objective of the Innovation Voucher initiative is to build links between Ireland's research community and small businesses and to create a cultural shift in the small business community's approach to innovation. This scheme is open to any small limited Irish company with a business opportunity or problem that they want to explore with a university. The Innovation Voucher is worth €5,000.http://www.innovationvouchers.ie/

Campus-Industry Partnerships - Strategic Research Clusters (SFI)These SRC partnerships helps link scientists and engineers across academia and industry to address crucial research questions, foster the development of new and existing Irish-based technology companies, and grow relationships with industry that could make an important contribution to Ireland and its economy. These clusters may be eligible for funding up to €5M in total over a 5 year period. In general, SFI may contribute 75% of the costs with the balance coming from the industrial partners which may be direct sponsorship of SRC activities, or in-kind contributions such as personnel, equipment, samples, devices, infrastructure, or valuable intellectual capital.

Campus-Industry Partnerships - CSETs (SFI)These CSETs are significantly larger scale academic-industrial partnerships which link scientists and engineers across academia and industry to address crucial research questions, foster the development of new and existing Irish-based technology companies, and grow relationships with industry that could make an important contribution to Ireland and its economy. These clusters may be eligible for funding up to €15-20M in total over a 5 year period. Once again, SFI may contribute 75% of the costs with the balance coming from the industrial partners which may be direct sponsorship of SRC activities, or in-kind contributions such as personnel, equipment, samples, devices, infrastructure, or valuable intellectual capital.